Garnet Coleman, a Democrat who represented Houston’s House District 147 in the Texas Legislature for more than 30 years, died Wednesday at the age of 65.
According to a statement from his family, Coleman died of natural causes. He had long been living with serious complications from diabetes.
State Rep. Armando Walle, a Democrat who represents Houston's HD 140, called Coleman a close friend and mentor. He said that the state had lost "a giant."
"I loved him like a brother," Walle said. "What I remember distinctly about Garnet Coleman is that he was a day-one supporter of mine, but he was a day-one supporter of Texans."
Coleman's most significant legislative achievements include the passage of significant health care legislation, including Children's Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Texas' mental health parity legislation, and HIV/AIDS services.
"This was not just for kids in Third Ward, Second Ward, or Northside," Walle said. “Working mothers across the state owe a debt of gratitude for the work and tenacity of Garnet Coleman, because he was the lead champion in passing Medicaid and CHIP in Texas."
Coleman's district stretched across much of Houston's Inner Loop, including the University of Houston's main campus.
"There are a lot of doctors, a lot of graduate students at [the University of Houston's] Hobby School that would not be getting their education and being primary care physicians or being public servants without his tenacity in advocating for the funding and the authorization to create the Hobby School of Public Affairs but also the Tillman Fertitta Medical School at the University of Houston," Walle said.
Coleman formerly chaired the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and the Texas Legislative Study Group — the latter a coalition of progressive lawmakers that Walle now chairs.
Coleman was born in Washington, D.C. in 1961, but he was raised in Houston. He started college at Howard University before switching to Houston's University of Saint Thomas to earn his Bachelor of Arts in political science. He later completed Harvard University's Senior Executive Program for State and Local Government.
Coleman began his political career in 1988 as a delegate to the Texas State Democratic Convention. He won his first election to the Texas House of Representatives in a 1991 runoff to succeed the late state Rep. Larry Q. Evans.
In retirement, Coleman continued to work on behalf of his former district's neighborhoods, particularly on issues of affordable housing.
"Even when he didn’t have an official title, he was still trying to fight for housing and economic development and opportunity for those in his community that sometimes are not seen," Walle said. "And he was able to see those people and advocate for these people as a private citizen, and I appreciated that."
Coleman's is survived by his wife Angelique, his son Austin, and his daughter Evan.
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